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Pricey termites are finest prevented, not handled
Printed 7:00 am Monday, October 3, 2022
By Bonnie Coblentz
MSU Extension Service
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The phrase “termite” strikes concern within the hearts of house owners as a result of this insect is probably the most economically damaging pest in Mississippi, is quite common and requires fixed vigilance.
Blake Layton, entomologist with the Mississippi State College Extension Service, stated the price of termites is so massive that it’s exhausting to pin down.
“Fireplace ants are estimated to value $250 million within the state every year, and termites value significantly greater than that,” Layton stated. “Nationally, termites are estimated to value $5 billion to $20 billion a yr. As they don’t seem to be an issue in all states, Mississippi and different states within the Southeast bear the brunt of that value, probably as excessive as $300 million to $500 million a yr.”
Due to this danger and value, Layton stated that every one householders ought to concentrate on the dangers of termites and ensure their homes are protected.
“Each constructing within the state is topic to assault by termites, even these product of stone or metal if they’ve cellulose in them,” Layton stated. “Each constructing is topic to assault, and there’s a value of defending them from termites.”
When termites do get inside a constructing, the price of repairing the harm can vary from just a few thousand to lots of of 1000’s. Termite harm could cause total buildings to be misplaced.
Buildings should not the one issues in danger from termites. Picket bridges, picket indicators and utility poles are among the many many gadgets that may be attacked by the pests.
“Termites are native bugs and are a pure a part of the atmosphere, together with city landscapes,” Layton stated. “One North Carolina research discovered that the typical house has 25 native, Japanese subterranean termite colonies per acre.”
In nature, termites have the crucial job of consuming waste cellulose, or wooden particles. If not for termites, there could be huge quantities of deadwood in forests, and waste wooden materials would take significantly longer to biodegrade.
However that starvation for wooden materials makes termites a excessive danger to homes. The primary line of protection is to have each home and constructing handled for the pests.
“You don’t need to be untreated within the Southeast,” Layton stated.
Therapy prices significantly lower than repairs and remediation. The price to deal with a 2,000-square-foot home could vary from $1,200 to $2,000, plus the annual value of sustaining the safety.
Layton stated there are two primary sorts of therapies. The primary is to use a liquid termiticide within the soil round the home. This therapy can final 12-15 years
A more recent therapy technique makes use of termite bait stations put in round the home. These bait stations should be maintained yearly to offer ongoing management.
Making use of termite therapies is a job for professionals, however householders can take steps to take away or forestall circumstances that promote termite infestations.
“Any moisture drawback presents an actual termite danger,” Layton stated. “In locations the place Formosan termites are current, the danger is exponentially extra.”
Untreated soil or layers of wooden mulch or bark piled towards the outside of a construction present open doorways for termites to enter, typically via soil tubes they construct on the facet of a constructing. Arbors, trellises, ladders, panorama timbers, picket steps or different options product of untreated wooden additionally present entry factors for termites when connected to a construction.
“Ensure that the slope of the land the constructing rests on doesn’t enable water to build up towards the construction so the realm stays moist,” Layton stated. “Ensure that sprinklers or irrigation hoses should not put in too near the home, in order that they make the construction persistently moist.”
Spray foam insulation can current issues with termite management. Though it’s helpful for sealing small gaps, termites can tunnel via the fabric and be utterly unseen. Utilizing spray foam insulation can result in hidden infestations of termites.
Some termite management corporations don’t prolong ensures to buildings with in depth spray foam insulation, because the insulated areas can’t be correctly inspected. Some corporations refuse to even deal with buildings the place spray foam has been utilized.
Russell Kohler, shopper safety group chief on the Mississippi Division of Agriculture and Commerce Bureau of Plant Business, works with regulatory points associated to the pest management business. He stated controlling termites is a job finest left to professionals.
“Widespread errors folks make when making an attempt to deal with for termites on their very own embody label violations, not spacing therapy websites accurately or putting in sufficient bait stations, and never treating all areas, equivalent to after they encounter a close-by slab or depart a distant a part of a construction untreated,” Kohler stated.
Different issues come up over misidentification of the termites being handled. Kohler stated that each Japanese subterranean and Formosan termites are subterranean, however their management strategies are completely different.
MSU has quite a lot of sources obtainable within the struggle towards termites. Extension Publication 2568, “Defend Your Home from Termites,” and the online web page http://extension.msstate.edu/
Moreover, MSU Extension gives Termite College, an intensive 2-day coaching occasion for pest management professionals targeted solely on termites and termite management. Attendees obtain roughly 9 hours of classroom coaching, in addition to on-site area coaching on the Redd Pest Coaching Facility situated on the MSU Horse Park.
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